How Much Bandwidth Does Your Company Need?

a person typing on a laptop with the word bandwhit on it

All successful businesses must depend on a reliable internet connection in order to stay relevant and remain competitive with other companies. Without the appropriate bandwidth, staff productivity and communication solutions can crumble. Continue reading to learn more about the complexities of bandwidth and how to determine the ideal amount of bandwidth your business should have in order to sustain productivity and effectiveness in the workplace.

The definition of bandwidth

To many people’s surprise, bandwidth and internet speed are not interchangeable. Although it does have some influence on the speed of one’s internet connection, bandwidth is not necessarily the speed of the internet connection. Bandwidth is the actual measurement of data that is sent over your internet connection and across your network within a specific time frame. It is measured in megabits per seconds (Mbps). The more bandwidth your network has, the more tools and data can be used during the workday. Knowing and understanding your bandwidth limitations can be essential for the success of your company.

What do you need to know about your company’s bandwidth needs?

Firstly, and most importantly, you should have a reliable internet service provider, or ISP. Many times ISPs work well for residents and consumers. It is important to remember that businesses are not only consumers but they also need to serve their own clients as well. Therefore, companies need to know and understand the needs of their organization. Continue reading to learn about the factors to consider when shopping for an internet service provider and bandwidth. 

The more devices connected, the more is needed

The amount of devices that are connected to your network will affect the amount of bandwidth that you need. These devices will continue using the network connection to send and receive data throughout the work day with various internet based applications. You must also take into account the number of mobile devices as they can outnumber the amount of workstations and other important hardware. 

The more applications used, the more is required

Your company has various unique applications that are utilized throughout the work day as part of business operations. The particular needs of your organizations will determine how applications will be used. While some companies use mostly web browsers during daily operations, other businesses might use more intensive applications, particularly those that require communication solutions. Some of these include VoIP, video conferencing, streaming, and cloud computing. All of these communication solutions will use bandwidth; therefore, you need to take into account the amount of applications that will be used during the work day. Daily business operations greatly depend on the amount that you have. 

At AE Technology Group, we can help you identify and determine how much bandwidth your company might need. We can also inform you if your current internet service provider will be able to meet the needs of your business. For any questions or to learn more information, contact us today at (516) 536-5006. 

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Network Maintenance 101

a man standing in front of a server

A network is simply a group of two or more devices connected to work with each other.

Most organizations need their systems to be interconnected, so think of a network as a building bridge between all the available systems (computers) in a firm. This helps companies stay updated and saves time by providing relevant information to all employees in different departments.

It is very important to keep a network maintained properly to get the most out of it.

What is network maintenance?

In simplest words, network maintenance is all the tasks and systems and whatever it takes for you to keep a network up and running. Network maintenance can be tricky and since it plays a vital part in a company’s growth, we need to understand it completely. For that, we will focus on all the network maintenance tasks that are included in different activities. One needs to be familiar with them to understand the term completely. These tasks include:

  • Installing
  • Replacing
  • Upgrading both hardware and software
  • Monitoring
  • Tuning
  • Optimizing the network

Maintaining a network not only helps with decreasing the probability of problem occurrence but also makes it a lot easier to troubleshoot. After a complete understanding of network maintenance, we need to know who conducts network maintenance.

Who conducts network maintenance?

Generally, it depends on the organization to choose who does the job for network maintenance, but here are the three most common approaches overseeing network maintenance:

Internal IT staff:

Some companies prefer In-house IT employees to do the job for them, they manage network devices, monitor traffic, and data storage.

Third-Party Maintenance (TPM):

This requires outsourcing a network maintenance plan. One benefit of which is a more detailed and customized network maintenance program.

Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEM):

This is when your company’s software comes with a maintenance contract delivered by the OEM. Companies opt for OEMs for smooth installations and timely system updates, though these are not as thorough in network maintenance as third-party maintenance but are more cost-effective.

To make it easier for you to understand networking maintenance tasks, let us go through each one of them.

Troubleshooting network Issues:

The word troubleshoot in its literal meaning is to trace and correct faults. When a network problem is about to occur, it may give you warnings beforehand. It is vital to get those warnings noticed before they turn into bigger and costlier issues. Troubleshooting can help diagnose the problem right away and give you the possible measures to solve the occurred issue.

Installing and configuring products:

Installing and configuring comes as part of setting up a product to get it into use. When you get a new product, you’re most likely to set it up and install its software and keep it updated. Installation is where you set up and transfer software files to your system from a source. Configuration includes the choices made during the setup to make sure it meets your needs.

Monitoring and improving network performance:

We have understood by now, that network performance can make or break your company. It is crucial to keep monitoring and improving your network performance.

How does one know if the network is working up to the mark and if there is a need for improvement? Comparison! Comparison can help you troubleshoot and maintain your network well.

Planning for growth:

For a business to grow, one always looks forward to expanding goals over time. If your network system is maintained vigilantly, growth comes along as a reward.

It is said to invest in network maintenance to grow your business at a smoother pace. A planned network is an effective one. If your company works on a proper network plan, it is more likely to have lesser issues in networking, since all the work is proactively planned.

To plan for growth your need to:

  • Keep documentation.
  • Monitoring potential problems on a day-to-day basis.
  • Keep a backup of data.

Ensuring Compliance:

If you plan on working long-term and do not want to get into any high-risk situations, you need to ensure compliance. Compliance means following the specifications of a rule.

From a broader perspective, ensuring compliance relates to legal and regulatory frameworks.

With the right network maintenance program, you can easily make sure that your company is regulated properly and is not at risk of any legal regulation.

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FCC Speed Test App to Help Fix Internet Inequality

Communication technology for internet business. Global world network and telecommunication on earth cryptocurrency and blockchain and IoT. Elements of this image furnished by NASA

With the transition of broadband Internet from a helpful convenience to a prescient need for modern life and business, it is staggering to consider that access to this resource is not equally distributed. While the U.S. Federal Communications Commission intends to change this, they need data to help them gauge the true scope of the problem. To do so, the FCC is pulling out an application that they first released years ago: FCC Speed Test.

How Important is Broadband Accessibility?

To answer this question, all that is needed is a little reflection. Take a few moments to look at your own online activities—how much of your life is now primarily handled online, through the Internet? Shopping online, keeping in touch with friends and relatives, or (most pertinently to our considerations) working remotely?

The lack of consistent broadband access makes these activities considerably more difficult for many people and businesses, if not eliminating them as options altogether. Therefore, the FCC is rallying behind the FCC Speed Test app they launched in 2013 and pushing for people to install it on their mobile devices.

FCC Speed Test

With enough people downloading and enabling the application, the FCC will be able to better keep track of the areas where Internet service quality is lacking. This will in turn enable funds to be most effectively allocated to where they are most needed.

FCC Speed Test evaluates the upload and download speeds, along with the latency, of your mobile device via a Wi-Fi network or cellular connection. Kicking in once every 24 hours, these tests can be scheduled to meet your itinerary and how much data these evaluations will use.

In addition, the app helps to test connectivity speeds, plotting them out by time and geographic location. In exchange, the app collects some data (like location, IP address, device type, operating system, and ISP) but refrains from collecting any personally identifiable data.

You can also report any lacking speeds to the FCC through the app, adding to the data they collect.

Available for either iOS or Android, this application can be downloaded now. Check out the FCC’s official FAQ page to find out more about it.

With any luck, these kinds of actions will help bring more equitable Internet access to more people, businesses, and organizations. While we wait, we will continue to deliver whatever IT services we can to companies. Give us a call at (516) 536-5006 to find out what we could do for you.

Cisco Global Study: Cloud network migration / mobile security key concerns among IT decision-makers

cisco global study cloud network migration mobile security key concerns among it decision makers
Cloud network migration

The process of ordering new IT services is evolving away from those common methods used in the past, where IT decisions and purchase orders started at the top of the company pyramid.

Today, the shift in planning and control of IT purchases is being driven by departmental needs.

Does HR see a more efficient and secure way, ala Office 365/SharePoint, to store and share employee profiles and information?

What HIPPA compliance measures need to be considered when determine storage and sharing of documents?

If so, their demand may be more urgent than, say, sales; the latter may be okay for the short term using silos of separate info residing on Excel or in Outlook.

Cisco

Increasingly, those decisions to purchase new platforms are moving from the traditional top-down approach to accommodate requirements from specific ‘lines of business (LOBs),” like sales and R&D, for example; this, according to a recent global study by Cisco Consulting Services that surveyed 4,000 IT decision makers.

The reason for the shift? Mainly, it has to do with the proliferation of mobile devices and the culture of BYOD in the workplace. As such, there is a recognized need for more control in cloud network migration among departments within an organization or business. In fact, 82 percent of those surveyed by Cisco were planning welcoming more such devices, which in turn would call for compliance and security measures.

For example, if an employee is cleared to use his own mobile device, and changes to another device, what is the policy to track and store sensitive info, particularly if the employee lives the company?

Pandora’s box opens wider with each tech advance. Moreover, by the year 2016 the report expects that cloud services will account for about 27% of IT spending.

To learn more about transition certain services and software functions to the cloud, contact us. Discover why more and more clients are coming to rely on us as their managed service provider.

IT Network Support Why the Options Have Never Been Better for Small Medium Business (SMB)

it network support why the options have never been better for small medium business smb

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It is very difficult in the modern age to understand how dominant the Microsoft Windows brand once was at every level of business. Though Microsoft is still going on strong, it is diversifying its offerings as it must compete with many other tech vendors. This is very different from the 90s and most of the 00s; Microsoft Office mainstays such as Exchange/Outlook as well as varieties of Windows Server (including Microsoft Small Business Server) were pretty much default for SMB IT. Though many enterprises, of all sizes, still depend upon Microsoft products, there is an even split of viable options.

All SMBs are relatively lean. As such, the cost of licensing, hardware, backups, floor space, and personnel can quickly eat into their profit margins. Furthermore, license renewals, forced obsolescence, and evolving IT skill sets require a business to constantly keep up. Most of these problems were endemic to the Microsoft-centric way of managing SMB IT, though in fairness this is true with all on-premises solutions.

Thankfully, a modern business has a multitude of options and flexibility in finding an effective IT solution while still keeping expenses at a minimum:

  • Hosted telecom through technologies such as VoIP.
  • Hosted email through Exchange alternatives.
  • Cloud-based services, either for full-suite IT, or for individual components of IT such as backup/recovery, license/upgrade-free productivity software, or nearly unlimited storage.
  • Fractional CIO services, in which IT consultants attend to computing strategies on a short-term basis, only when they are needed.
  • Fully-managed IT services and service desk – the complete remote outsourcing of all IT functions.

Organizations have different needs, and some may prefer to keep a higher level of control over their IT functions for reasons of trust or security. However, the modern SMB can take comfort in the fact that there are many options for making sure that IT is a driver for success, rather than an impediment.